Cooler bottle

ABSTRACT

A drinks container includes a circumferential recess, the recess having a diameter which is smaller than adjacent portions of the container; a sleeve received in the recess, the sleeve having an inner diameter which is smaller than the adjacent portions of the container and containing the constituents of an endothermic reaction; wherein the constituents are separated from one another in an unactivated configuration and are combined in an activated configuration thereby causing an endothermic reaction; wherein the container or sleeve is deformable to allow the sleeve to be received over the adjacent portions when the sleeve is in the unactivated configuration.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a drinks container.

It is often desirable to cool a drink before consuming. For example,alcoholic beverages, such as lager, and soft drinks, such as cola, arebest enjoyed when cooled below room temperature. Consequently, consumersand retailers may refrigerate drinks so that they are cool when they areto be consumed. However, it is not always possible to providerefrigeration to cool the drink. For example, refrigeration may not beavailable when the drink is to be consumed outdoors, such as on apicnic. In these situations, a cool box may be used to cool the drink ormaintain the drink at a cool temperature following removal from arefrigerator. Alternatively, a previously frozen cooler sleeve may beused to cool the drink. However, such cooling devices are only able tocool the drink for a relatively short time and thereafter the drinkreturns to the ambient temperature of its surroundings. Therefore, thesecooling devices are not suitable when the drink is to be consumed at amuch later time.

Furthermore, the use of refrigeration systems to continuously keep adrink cool until it is to be drunk is not the most economical solution.

It is known to use exothermic and endothermic reactions to heat or cooldrinks. Devices employing such reactions allow the drink to be cooled orheated prior to consuming and thus are an improvement on the techniquesdescribed above.

For example, GB 2316159 discloses a flexible sleeve which has pocketsfilled with water or ammonium nitrate. Adjacent pockets are filled withwater and ammonium nitrate respectively and burstable seals are providedbetween the adjacent pockets to separate the two. The sleeve may befitted over a can after the seals have been burst to allow theendothermic reaction of the ammonium nitrate dissolving in the water tocommence. Consequently, the sleeve cools the contents of the can.

With the seals intact, the internal circumference of the sleeve may betoo small to receive the can within it. However, the internalcircumference of the sleeve increases when the seals are burst therebyallowing the sleeve to receive the can. Consequently, it is necessary toactivate the endothermic reaction before the can is inserted into thesleeve. This may be undesirable, particularly when the drink is to besold with the sleeve.

The internal circumference of the sleeve may be configured to allow theendothermic reaction to be initiated after the can has been receivedwithin the sleeve. However, with this configuration, the sleeve is notin intimate contact with the can once it has been activated. Thisreduces the heat transfer between the can and the sleeve and thus isdetrimental to the effectiveness of the sleeve.

The present invention seeks to overcome some or all of the problemsassociated with the prior art sleeve.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided adrinks container comprising: a circumferential recess, the recess havinga diameter which is smaller than adjacent portions of the container; asleeve received in the recess, the sleeve having an inner diameter whichis smaller than the adjacent portions of the container and containingthe constituents of an endothermic reaction; wherein the constituentsare separated from one another in an unactivated configuration and arecombined in an activated configuration thereby causing an endothermicreaction; wherein the container or sleeve is deformable to allow thesleeve to be received over the adjacent portions when the sleeve is inthe unactivated configuration.

The sleeve may be fitted over the bottle when the bottle is not full andis thus capable being deformed itself. This may prevent the sleeve frombeing removed after the bottle has been filled and thus provide asecurity measure.

The drinks container may be a can or bottle.

The inner diameter of the sleeve may be less than or approximately equalto the diameter of the recess when the sleeve is in the activated and/orunactivated configuration. Accordingly, the sleeve may be in intimatecontact with the surface of the container so as to improve the heattransfer between the container and the sleeve.

The sleeve may be constructed from expandable polychloroprene (i.e.neoprene) or silicone rubber.

The constituents of the endothermic reaction may be ammonium nitrate orurea and water.

One of the constituents of the endothermic reaction (i.e. ammoniumnitrate or urea) may be contained in a burstable capsule.

The capsule may be located within the sleeve and the sleeve may containthe other constituent of the endothermic reaction.

The capsule may comprise a tab which may be attached to the sleeve.

The tab may be welded or otherwise attached into a seam of the sleeve.

The tab may be attached to the sleeve so as to align the capsule with anindicium on an outer surface of the sleeve. The indicium may include atransparent portion of the sleeve which allows the capsule to be viewed.Furthermore, the indicium may include a printed motif (such as “presshere”) over the position of the capsule for ease of activation.

At least a portion of the sleeve adjacent to the capsule may beprotected by a removable cover to prevent the capsule from being burst.This may prevent the capsule from being burst inadvertently duringtransit or before the product is purchased. The cover may be attached tothe sleeve or container using a security seal or other means whichindicate whether the cover has been tampered with. Therefore, the covermay ensure that the sleeve is in the unactivated configuration when theproduct is purchased and remains this way until the drink is to beconsumed.

The container may be made of plastic. This may allow the container to bedeformed so as to allow the sleeve to be received over the adjacentportions.

The sleeve may be received over the adjacent portions prior to fillingthe container. Again, this may allow the container to be deformed.

The container may be made of glass. Accordingly, the sleeve may bedeformable/expandable so as to allow the sleeve to be stretched over theadjacent portions.

The sleeve may fill the recess. For example, the sleeve may complete acontour of the container thereby covering or disguising the recess. Thismay provide a more ergonomic product which is easier to hold.

The recess and an inner surface of the sleeve may have complementarycurved surfaces. This may increase the surface area over which thesleeve contacts the container and therefore may increase heat transfer.The recess and the inner surface of the sleeve may be corrugated toincrease the surface area. Crests of the corrugations may extend inaxial and/or radial directions.

The sleeve may be removed from the container so as to allow thecontainer to be recycled.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided adrinks container comprising: a circumferential recess, the recess havinga diameter which is smaller than an adjacent portion of the container; asleeve received in the recess, the sleeve having an inner diameter whichis smaller than the adjacent portion of the container and containing theconstituents of an endothermic reaction; wherein the constituents areseparated from one another in an unactivated configuration and arecombined in an activated configuration thereby causing an endothermicreaction; wherein the inner diameter of the sleeve may be less than orapproximately equal to the diameter of the recess.

Various aspects of this invention will become apparent to those skilledin the art from the following detailed description of the preferredembodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded front view of a drinks container in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the drinks container of FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is perspective view of the drinks container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a burstable capsule used in a sleeve ofthe drinks container of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the sleeve with the capsule of FIG. 4 inplace.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view through the sleeve of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the drinks container of FIG. 1 providedwith a protective cover.

FIG. 8 is an exploded front view of a drinks container in accordancewith another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the drinks container of FIG.8.

FIG. 10 is perspective view of the drinks container of FIG. 8;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a drinks container 2 according to anembodiment of the invention comprises a bottle 4, a sleeve 6 and a cap8.

The bottle 4 is a generally cylindrical shape with an opening 10 locatedat the top of the bottle 4 for filling and dispensing a drink. Theopening 10 is closed by the cap 8 which provides a liquid tight seal toprevent the drink from leaking out of the opening 10. The cap 8 andopening 10 may be provided with corresponding threads to allow the cap 8to be repeatedly removed and replaced. The bottle 4 further comprises aneck portion 12 which widens from the opening 10 towards acircumferential recess 14. The circumferential recess 14 separates theneck portion 12 above the recess 14 from a base portion 16 below therecess 14.

The recess 14 has a smaller diameter than adjacent portions of the neckportion 12 and the base portion 16 located either side of the recess 14.The recess 14 extends around the entire circumference of the bottle 4and is preferably located towards the centre of the bottle 4. The recess14 is concave, with the diameter of the recess 14 tapering in an axialdirection to a minimum diameter located approximately midway along therecess 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, the sleeve 6 has an inner wall 18 and an outer wall20 each constructed from polychloroprene (i.e. neoprene) or siliconerubber which allows the sleeve 6 to deform and expand. The inner wall 18and outer wall 20 are separated from one another to form a cavitytherebetween, which will be described in more detail below.

The axial length of the sleeve 6 is less than or approximately equal tothe length of the recess 14 such that the sleeve 6 fits between theadjacent portions of the neck portion 12 and the base portion 16, asshown in FIG. 3. The inner wall 18 has an internal diameter which issmaller than the diameter of the adjacent portions of the neck portion12 and base portion 16. Consequently, it is necessary to deform thesleeve 6 to increase its internal diameter sufficiently for it to bereceived over the adjacent portions of the neck portion 12 and the baseportion 16 and into the recess 14.

The inner wall 18 has an internal profile which corresponds to that ofthe recess 14. The internal diameter of the inner wall 18 may beapproximately equal to the diameter of the recess 14 along its length,such that the inner wall 18 is in intimate contact with the surface ofthe bottle 4 along the length of the recess 14. Alternatively, theinternal diameter of the inner wall 18 may be less than the diameter ofthe recess 14 along its length. Consequently, the inner wall 18 is undertension and the surface of the bottle 4 at the recess 14 is undercompression. This may improve the contact between the sleeve 6 and thebottle 4.

The outer wall 20 of the sleeve 6 is sized to fill the recess 14. Asshown in FIG. 3, the outer wall 20 continues the contour of the bottle 4between the neck portion 12 and the base portion 16, thereby coveringthe recess and disguising its presence. This gives the product anaesthetically pleasing appearance and makes the product more ergonomicand easier to hold. Furthermore, the outer wall 20 of the sleeve 6provides an excellent graphic marketing area. In addition, since thesleeve 6 is constructed from a material which is different from that ofthe bottle 4, the sleeve 6 provides natural contrasting qualities thatwill make it (and the product) stand out.

The cavity formed between the inner wall 18 and the outer wall 20 of thesleeve houses the constituents of an endothermic reaction. Anendothermic reaction is one which absorbs energy from its surroundingsin the form of heat. The constituents of the endothermic reaction may beammonium nitrate or urea and water. That said, the invention is notlimited to these reactants and any known combination of reactants whichresult in an endothermic reaction may be used.

The reactants must be separated from one another until it is desired tocool the drink. Accordingly, one of the reactants is contained in aburstable capsule 22, as shown in FIG. 4. The capsule 22 may be rupturedby the application of force to the capsule 22, thereby releasing thereactant. The capsule 22 is further provided with a tab 24 which extendsfrom the capsule and is used to fix the position of the capsule 22within the sleeve 6.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inner wall 18 and outer wall 20 areformed by a single piece of material which is folded over to define theinner and outer walls 18, 20 and joined at its free edges along a seam26 to form the cavity 28. The inner and outer walls 18, 20 may be joinedby welding, gluing, etc. to provide the cavity 28 with a liquid tightseal.

The cavity 28 is filled with the other reactant and contains the capsule22. The tab 24 of the capsule 22 is located between the inner and outerwalls 18, 20 at the seam 26, such that the tab 24 is captured betweenthe inner and outer walls 18, 20 when they are joined to one another,thereby fixing the position of the capsule 22 within the cavity 28.

The capsule 22 is positioned within the cavity 28 so that it is alignedwith an indicium 30 on the outer wall 20. The indicium 30 indicates theposition of the capsule 22 to a consumer so that they know where topress the sleeve 6 to activate the endothermic reaction. Accordingly,the indicium 30 may include the words “press here” or other suchinvitation. Alternatively, the indicium 30 may be a transparent portionof the outer wall 20 which allows the consumer to see the capsule 22within the sleeve 6. In this case, the capsule itself may also includean indicium, such as the words “press here”.

The drinks container 2 is supplied to a consumer prefilled with a drink.Furthermore, the drinks container 2 is supplied in an unactivatedconfiguration where the capsule 22 is intact and thus separates thereactants of the endothermic reaction from one another. Shortly beforethe consumer wishes to consume the drink, they may depress the sleeve inthe region of the indicium 30 thereby rupturing the capsule 22 andcausing the reactant contained therein to be released into the cavity28. Here, the reactant from the capsule 22 mixes with the reactantcontained in the cavity 28. Accordingly, the reactants undergo theendothermic reaction and absorb heat from the bottle 4 and the drinkcontained within the bottle 4. Consequently, the temperature of thedrink is reduced.

After the drink has been consumed, the sleeve 6 may be removed from thebottle 4 so that the bottle 4 can be recycled. Furthermore, with thelarge graphic area available on the outer surface of the sleeve 6, allgraphic requirements may be produced on the sleeve alone. Consequently,other than removal of the sleeve 6, there is no further requirement toremove any labels, etc. prior to recycling the bottle 4.

To prevent the capsule 22 from being burst inadvertently during transitor before the product is purchased (for example, as an act ofvandalism), a removable cover 32 may be provided to protect the capsule22.

The removable cover 32 covers at least a portion of the sleeve 6adjacent to the capsule 22. The cover 32 is formed from rigid plastic.The cover 32 may be substantially transparent so that the sleeve 6 andindicium 30 is visible, thereby aiding user understanding. The cover 32comprises a pair of attachment portions 34 a, 34 b which are attached tothe bottle 4 at the neck portion 12 and base portion 16 respectively.The neck portion 12 and base portion 16 may have recesses for receivingthe attachment portions 34 a, 34 b so that they lie flush with thesurface of the bottle 4. A curved portion 36 is disposed between theattachment portions 34 a, 34 b and thus spans the axial length of thesleeve 6. The curved portion 36 curves away from the outer wall 20 ofthe sleeve 6 and prevents pressure from being applied to the capsule 22.

The cover 32 may be attached to the bottle using a security seal orother means which indicate whether the cover has been tampered with.Therefore, the cover 32 may ensure that the sleeve 6 is in theunactivated configuration when the product is purchased and remains thisway until the drink is to be consumed, at which point the consumerremoves the cover 32.

FIGS. 8 to 10 disclose another embodiment of a drinks container. As forthe drinks container 2 of the previous embodiment, the drinks container102 comprises a bottle 104, a sleeve 106 and a cap 108.

The bottle 104 is a generally cylindrical shape with an opening 110located at the top of the bottle 104 for filling and dispensing a drink.The opening 110 is closed by the cap 108 which provides a liquid tightseal to prevent the drink from leaking out of the opening 110. Thebottle 104 further comprises a neck portion 112 which widens from theopening 110 towards a circumferential recess 114. The circumferentialrecess 114 separates the neck portion 112 above the recess 114 from abase portion 116 below the recess 114.

In contrast to the recess 114 of the drinks container 2 of the previousembodiment, the recess 114 is not concave, but instead has a diameterwhich is approximately constant along the axial length of the recess114. Similarly, the inner wall 118 has a constant diameter along itsaxial length to correspond to the recess 114. Furthermore, the outerwall 120 may have a constant diameter along its axial length. The outerwall 120 of the sleeve 106 is sized to fill the recess 114 and extendsbetween the neck portion 112 and the base portion 116, thereby coveringthe recess and disguising its presence.

As for the previous embodiment, the drinks container 102 may be providedwith a cover 32 to prevent the capsule 22 from being burst inadvertentlyduring transit or before the product is purchased. Furthermore, thesleeve 106 may have an indicium 30 for locating the capsule 22, asdescribed previously.

The bottle 4, 104 may be constructed from plastic or glass. However,where the bottle 4, 104 is constructed from plastic, the sleeve 6, 106itself need not be deformable. Instead, the sleeve 6, 106 may be fittedover the bottle when the bottle is not full (i.e. prior to or duringfilling) and is thus capable of being deformed itself. This may preventthe sleeve from being removed after the bottle has been filled and thusprovide a security measure.

Although the recess 14, 114 has been described as extending around theentire circumference of the bottle 4, 104, it may be interrupted by oneor more non-recessed portions. The non-recessed portions may be receivedin corresponding recesses formed in the sleeve 6, 106 so as to provide amechanical key between the sleeve 6, 106 and the bottle 4, 104 thuspreventing rotating of the sleeve 6, 106 relative to the bottle 4, 104.

Both the inner wall 18, 118 and outer wall 20, 120 have been describedas being constructed from a deformable/expandable material, such aspolychloroprene (i.e. neoprene) or silicone rubber, however this neednot be the case. It may only be required that the inner wall 18, 118 isexpandable to allow the sleeve 6, 106 to fit over the adjacent portionsof the neck portion 12, 112 and the base portion 16, 116. In contrast,the outer wall 20, 120 may be constructed from a non-expandable ornon-deformable material. This may provide a more rigid exterior surfaceof the sleeve 6, 106 which is easier to grip. Furthermore, the sleeve 6,106 may contain a plurality of capsules 22. The capsules 22 may bespaced around the circumference of the sleeve 6, 106 to achieve an evencooling effect.

The inner wall 18, 118 and outer wall 20, 120 need not be formed from asingle piece of material but could instead be formed from two discreteelements which are joined along two seams. Furthermore, the capsule 22may be insert moulded into a hollow section moulding to form the sleeve6, 106. The other reactant may be injected into the hollow cavitypost-moulding and heat sealed. Being insert moulded, the capsule 22 canbe moulded into a fixed position with the cavity 28 of the sleeve 6,106.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a bottle 4,104, it could also be applied to a can or other container.

To avoid unnecessary duplication of effort and repetition of text in thespecification, certain features are described in relation to only one orseveral aspects or embodiments of the invention. However, it is to beunderstood that, where it is technically possible, features described inrelation to any aspect or embodiment of the invention may also be usedwith any other aspect or embodiment of the invention.

The principle and mode of operation of this invention have beenexplained and illustrated in its preferred embodiment. However, it mustbe understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than asspecifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spiritor scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A drinks container comprising: a circumferentialrecess, the recess having a diameter which is smaller than adjacentportions of the container; a sleeve received in the recess, the sleevehaving an inner diameter which is smaller than the adjacent portions ofthe container and containing the constituents of an endothermicreaction; wherein the constituents are separated from one another in anunactivated configuration and are combined in an activated configurationthereby causing an endothermic reaction; wherein the container or sleeveis deformable to allow the sleeve to be received over the adjacentportions when the sleeve is in the unactivated configuration.
 2. Adrinks container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner diameter ofthe sleeve is less than or approximately equal to the diameter of therecess.
 3. A drinks container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sleeveis constructed from expandable polychloroprene or silicone rubber.
 4. Adrinks container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the constituents of theendothermic reaction are ammonium nitrate or urea and water.
 5. A drinkscontainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the constituents of theendothermic reaction is contained in a burstable capsule.
 6. A drinkscontainer as claimed in claim 5, wherein the capsule is located withinthe sleeve and wherein the sleeve contains the other constituent of theendothermic reaction.
 7. A drinks container as claimed in claim 5,wherein the capsule comprises a tab which is attached to the sleeve. 8.A drinks container as claimed in claim 7, wherein the tab is welded intoa seam of the sleeve.
 9. A drinks container as claimed in claim 7,wherein the tab is attached to the sleeve so as to align the capsulewith an indicium on an outer surface of the sleeve.
 10. A drinkscontainer as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least a portion of thesleeve adjacent to the capsule is protected by a removable cover toprevent the capsule from being burst.
 11. A drinks container as claimedin claim 1, wherein the container is made of plastic.
 12. A drinkscontainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sleeve is received over theadjacent portions prior to filling the container.
 13. A drinks containeras claimed in claim 1, wherein the container is made of glass.
 14. Adrinks container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sleeve fills therecess.
 15. A drinks container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the recessand an inner surface of the sleeve have complementary curved surfaces.